Each time a significant awards ceremony nears, you'll find a demand to include fresh award types to honor overlooked contributions and satisfy the passions of fans dedicated to specific genres.
A fellow writer has already made for a horror game category. It would be amazing. The same goes for board games, this being a passionate advocate's mission. But they will have to forgive me if I try to elbow in front since similar to single-minded supporters, I have a cast-iron argument backing this proposal is the most urgent and important of all. Here's the proposal: We need a category for puzzle games.
Organizing Gaming Categories
Classifying creative works is not a science; it’s very subjective, and inevitably spark debates resulting in unclear classifications. There’s a reason movie academies don’t do it. Yet it remains an unavoidable compromise for the industry of video games, that demonstrate such variety they hardly constitute as a single art form.
For comprehensive acknowledgment of interactive entertainment excellence to gain proper attention, and for games of all stripes to receive proper recognition, genre categories are essential.
Present Award Structure
Prominent interactive entertainment events presently include genre categories for Action-oriented games, Action/Adventure, Role-Playing, Combat games, Sim/Strategy, and Sports/Racing games. Between them, these six categories effectively encompass many game types, and you can find room for most games within them.
Different situation exists for puzzle games. No appropriate category exists to put them. Consider three of this year’s best games, all very different: building puzzles in a particular game, intense tile-matching of another game, engaging interpersonal challenges from additional release. Which classification works among existing types? Unfortunately, nowhere.
Recognition Challenges
Many instances occur outstanding logic titles launched regularly that have no home at major award shows, unless they happen to qualify classification types such as Handheld titles, VR/AR Game, or the intensely contested small studio competitions.
- One classic puzzle game received no recognition in any category in 2014
- Another imaginative release missed out in 2019
- A beloved organization game received no acknowledgment in 2021
- Limited numbers of logic titles scraped into small studio or handheld classifications
Importance of Logic Titles
Commonly they're small games, however the design of the puzzle game carries substantial weight. Famous handheld logic titles count as most popular titles globally maintaining this status for many years.
The legendary block-stacking game rivals well-known building titles claiming status as most purchased experience; it also contends for best game of all time. Puzzle games are foundational for gaming as medium, and engaging with almost every other genre.
Proposal and Rationale
Puzzle games wouldn’t have that issue. One could readily select five nominees with fascinating, diverse, deserving games every year with ease — actually, with challenge, given the need to exclude many worthy titles.
Restating the point, these represent titles lacking appropriate categories in important events. Logic title developers are working at the challenging frontier game development, creating some of essential manifestations of gaming itself. Just like film action specialists, they warrant appreciation. We shouldn't delay generations.
